Orono, ME ? The University of Hartford women's basketball team, behind four players in double figures, picked up a 77-46 victory on the road at Maine on Saturday afternoon. Lisa Etienne led Hartford with a career-high 20 points, 13 of which came in the first half. The Hawks improve to 7-7 on the season and 2-0 in conference play, while Maine falls to 2-13 overall and 0-2 in AE action.
Etienne, who was named the America East Player of the game for Hartford, connected on 9-of-13 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. She also tied her season-high with six rebounds, while scoring two assists, grabbing two steals and blocking a shot. Joining her in double figures was Erica Beverly with 15, Diana Delva with 14 and Ilicia Mathis with 10.
The Hawks finished the game shooting 49 percent from the field (31-of-64), including 47 percent (7-of-15) from beyond the three point arc. Hartford also finished with a season best of 20 assists, and tied its season-high with 18 steals, forcing the Black Bears into 25 turnovers. All four of the Hawks leading scorers shot well throughout the game. Beverly, Delva and Mathis each missed three shots, combining to go 15-of-24, with Mathis a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
The Hawks also excelled on the boards, posting a 41-28 advantage, led by Etienne's six boards. All but one of the Hartford players finished with at least one rebounds. Joining Etienne in the lead was Beverly and Katie Kelley who each grabbed five rebounds. Beverly led the team in assists with six, tying her career-high, while nine of the 13 Hawks passed for at least one assist. Beverly and Amanda Weaver led the team in steals, both finishing with four, which is a career-high for both, tying Beverly's pervious mark.
“Obviously I was very pleased with how our team played, especially on the road,” said head coach Jennifer Rizzotti. “It isn't easy to win big on the road and especially in conference play because of the familiarity. Today we were able to execute well on both ends of the floor. I was very pleased with our defense. I always tell the kids that you win championships and it has always been a trademark of ours.”
The Hawks jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first seven points, and taking an 11-2 advantage at the first media break. Beverly led the Hawks in the early going with a pair of layups. The Hawks extended its lead into double digits for the first time with 13:38 to play before the break on a three pointer from Etienne, which gave Hartford a 16-4 advantage.
That lead extended above 20 for the first time with 5:26 to play following an 8-0 run for Hartford which saw a pair of three pointers from Etienne and Weaver. The Hawks took a 38-17 advantage into the break, with Beverly scoring the final points of the half with 3:41 to play. The final basket of the half came from Katia Bratishko, a jumper with 4:28 remaining before the intermission.
The Hawks came out of the break on fire, despite the cold temperatures in Alfond Arena. Hartford scored the first 17 points of the half, all in the first 3:37, extending its lead to 55-17 with 16:23 remaining in the game. The run saw eight baskets, from four different players, led by Delva with three layups. The Black Bears were plagued by five turnovers in that span.
The Hawks return to the friendly confines of Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on Tuesday for a meeting with the UMBC Retrievers at 7:00 p.m.
